Knowledge Base

Methods of upgrading to vCenter Server 5.1 (2021188)

Purpose

This article provides high-level information about the methods of upgrading to vCenter Server 5.1.

Note:

This article assumes that you have read the documentation for the update you are applying. For more information, see the vSphere Upgrade Guide. The documentation contains definitive information. If there is a discrepancy between the guide and this article, assume that the guide is correct.

Resolution

Before upgrading to vCenter Server 5.1, vSphere 5.1 requires you to install vCenter Single Sign On and install or upgrade the Inventory Service. You can install vCenter Single Sign On and upgrade the Inventory Service and vCenter Server all on a single host machine using the vCenter Server Simple Install option. This option is appropriate for small deployments.

Alternatively, you can install vCenter Single Sign On, upgrade the Inventory Service, and upgrade vCenter Server separately to customize the location and configuration of the components. See the Installing components separately.

For more information vCenter Single Sign On, see:

How vCenter Single Sign On Affects vCenter Server Installation and Upgrades in the vSphere Upgrade Guide.

Prerequisites

Before upgrading, you need to create a vCenter Single Sign On database, unless you plan to install the bundled database. For information about vCenter Single Sign On supported database versions, see the VMware Product Interoperability Matrix.

If you are using an existing database for vCenter Single Sign On:

You have the option of specifying a database user (RSA_USER) and database administrator (RSA_DBA) to use for Single Sign On database installation and setup. See Required vCenter Single Sign On Database Users in the vSphere Upgrade Guide.

If you choose this option, create these users before you run the installer. See Required vCenter Single Sign On Database Users in the vSphere Upgrade Guide for a list of required permissions.

If you do not choose this option, the installer creates these users for you using the credentials of a database administrator you specify during the installation process. Verify that the database user you specify has the required permissions. See Permissions Required by vCenter Single Sign On for Database Administrators in the vSphere Upgrade Guide.

Ensure that the tablespaces are named RSA_DATA and RSA_INDEX. Any other table space names cause the vCenter Single Sign On installation to fail.

Ensure that table space is created for the database. Run the script:

rsaIMSLite<DBName>SetupTablespaces.sql

Note: The script is included in the vCenter Server installer download package (vCenter Server Installation directory\Single Sign On\DBScripts\SSOServer\Schema\your_existing_database). You can run this script prior to the installation, or during the installation of Single Sign On, when you are prompted by the installer. You can leave the installer to run the script, and resume the installer after you run the script.

If you do not choose this option, the installer creates these users for you using the credentials of a database administrator you specify during the installation process. Verify that the database user you specify has the required permissions. See Permissions Required by vCenter Single Sign On for Database Administrators in the vSphere Upgrade Guide.

Installing components on one host using Simple Install

To install vCenter Single Sign On and upgrade the Inventory Service and vCenter Server all on a single host machine using the vCenter Server Simple Install option:

Install vCenter Single Sign On as Part of a vCenter Server Simple Install. Create the only node in a basic vCenter Single Sign On installation, or the first node in a high availability or multisite installation.

Install or Upgrade Inventory Service as Part of vCenter Server Simple Install.

Note: The Inventory Service stores vCenter Server application and inventory data, enabling you to search and access inventory objects across linked vCenter Servers.

You can install vCenter Single Sign On, vCenter Inventory Service, and vCenter Server together on a single host machine using the vCenter Server Simple Install option. This option is appropriate for small deployments.

Upgrade to vCenter Server 5.1 as Part of a Simple Install.

Notes:

You can upgrade vCenter Server as part of a Simple Install after installing vCenter Single Sign On, and upgrading the Inventory Service. Alternatively, you can install vCenter Single Sign On, upgrade Inventory Service, and upgrade vCenter Server separately to customize the location and configuration of the components. See Install vCenter Single Sign On, Upgrade Inventory Service, and Upgrade vCenter Server Separately. See the below section for further details.

You can use Simple Install to upgrade vCenter Server if you have a version 4.x or 5.0.x vCenter Server installation that is supported for upgrade. See vCenter Server Upgrade Summary. In this case, the Simple Install option installs Single Sign-On, upgrades Inventory Service, and upgrades vCenter Server.

If you are upgrading a version 5.1 vCenter Server installation to version 5.1.x, you cannot use Simple Install. Upgrade the Single Sign-On, Inventory Service, and vCenter Server components separately. See Separately Install vCenter Single Sign On, Upgrade Inventory Service, and Upgrade vCenter Server.

If an earlier version of vCenter Server is on your machine, the vCenter Server installer detects and upgrades it. If the upgrade fails, no automatic rollback occurs to the previous vCenter Server version.

For more information on the Single Sign On install and vCenter Server upgrade option, see the vSphere Upgrade Guide.

Installing components separately

To install vCenter Single Sign On, install/upgrade the Inventory Service, and upgrade vCenter Server separately to customize the location and configuration of the components:

Install vCenter Single Sign On as a New Installation. Create the only node in a basic vCenter Single Sign On installation, or the first node in a high availability or multisite installation.

Or

Install an Additional Node for an Existing vCenter Single Sign On Installation. Create an additional vCenter Single Sign On node for an existing high availability or multisite vCenter Single Sign On installation.

Install or upgrade vCenter Inventory Service in a Separate Installation.

Note: The Inventory Service stores vCenter Server application and inventory data, enabling you to search and access inventory objects across linked vCenter Servers.

Upgrade vCenter Server in a Separate Upgrade.

Note: For more information about the Single Sign On install and vCenter Server upgrade option, see the vSphere Upgrade Guide.

vCenter Server 5.1 service packs are available from www.vmware.com. The service pack update process updates files and registry settings required by vCenter Server and restart Windows services that are stopped during the update.

For more information, see the Updating vCenter Server with Service Packs section in the vSphere Upgrade Guide.